


Bird and Cage

by Miss_Pyschopath



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: COVID-19, ConfineTale, F/F, F/M, M/M, Own Au, Quarantine Stories, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23547478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Pyschopath/pseuds/Miss_Pyschopath
Summary: Based off of my own AU ConfineTale, and inspired by COVID-19 and the self isolationMonsters are incredibly susceptible to the C-Virus and need to quarantine from everyone- they can’t be in groups at all, leading to the eventual law that: no room should be filled with more than one monster. The C-Virus remains for years, leaving all monsters touch-starved and lonely, until, finally, they are allowed to leave their confinement. The years of quarantine has dramatically changed all the monsters, and now they are all strangers to one another. Can one human reconnect all of monsterkind, and become the new angel of the monsters?
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne, Asgore/Toriel, Papyrus/Mettaton, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. OC Info

**Author's Note:**

> This AU, ConfineTale, is created by Miss_Psychopath. Any similarities are coincidental, and permission is preferred if you would like to use the concept.  
> (Posted 8th April, 2020)

OC for ConfineTale::  
Laila (angel of conception/angel of new life) Hayes

Appearance:: 

Black hair to the middle of her back,  
Cool grey eyes, sometimes showing light blue hints  
Warm skin tone, relatively pale, but not purely white, more within the mocha tone  
Rather short at 5”3  
Not necessarily thin, but not wide either, kind of in between  
Relatively large bust, not flat, but not unnaturally large  
Has black, thick-framed reading glasses  
She’s pretty, but not stupidly attractive, that’s too cliche

Personality::  
She’s very affectionate and smiley, often very cheerful, but she’s not in your face, and understands the concept of personal space and quiet time  
She’s 25 and works in a library because she’s an utter bookworm  
Lives in a small, cozy 2 bedroom apartment with a small grey tabby cat called Mari, and a golden retriever puppy called Jack  
She’s a sensitive soul, and very understanding  
Slightly sarcastic  
She’s incredibly observant and analytical  
She would look adorable in a lab coat when Sans works at the lab fight me  
Forever willing to test Papyrus’s puzzles when no one else will because they’re just slightly life-threatening  
Undyne takes a big fat 0 seconds to announce that OC is her new sister  
She is Alphys’s cheerleader  
Gardening and baking with the royal family is a Saturday afternoon for her  
Flowey is chill with her, which is the best we’d ever get honestly  
Both Chara and Frisk (both genderless) love her like a sister and OC definitely reads them bedtime stories even though they are both 16 years old  
Mettaton and OC have sleepovers weekly. So much nail polish and gossip.  
Grillby adores her like a daughter because that is precious as all heck, and Grillbz is the first monster OC meets  
The dogs love the pets  
Muffet reads books with her and drinks tea elegantly because yes  
She loves the stars. Loves them so much  
Her own parents moved away a few years ago a couple states over, so she only contacts them through Skype and video calls  
She has an older brother who’s life mission is to ruin her life by showing her monster friends baby photos and telling them embarrassing stories like a good supporting older sibling should  
All the monsters call her Angel and it is precious  
The royal family officially named her their princess, so take that as you will  
She always has rubber bands around her wrists since she snaps them against her wrist to keep focused on one thing  
It’s a bad habit, and she always has bruises around her wrists because of it  
She’ll lose this habit, don’t worry  
Her favourite food is spaghetti, so best believe she taught Paps and Undyne to make it properly without killing anyone  
She has a dream catcher necklace that is her lucky charm  
Her favourite celebration is Easter  
She’s a chaotic neutral and loves for it  
She doesn’t drive since she knows it’s bad for the planet and walks everywhere if she can  
Epic lazy days every Sunday with Sans where their law is to not get up for 8 hours unless absolutely necessary, or the punishment is the snuggle cage where they cuddle together for the rest of the day


	2. Two Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened during the quarantine?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU, ConfineTale, is created by Miss_Psychopath. Any similarities are coincidental, and permission is preferred if you would like to use the concept.  
> (Posted 8th April, 2020)

Chapter 1: Two Years

The pandemic wasn’t supposed to be able to infect monsters. With all human diseases being incompatible with their purely magic and intent-based bodies, it should’ve been impossible.

It wasn’t.

Left and right, weaker monsters fell to the pandemic, dusting in a matter of weeks. It was horrifying— this was the first disease to ever truly be so lethal to monsterkind. Sure, a cold or flu was normal to all monsters, perhaps inconvenient, but not dangerous. This was new. And was definitely not welcome.

The royal family was terrified, for good reason, and implemented the safe-keeping law: 

“No room should be filled with more than one monster.”

It wasn’t expected to last so long. The expected time was maybe, 2-3 months, at most. But the disease was far too resilient. The law, initially made to protect all monsters, effectively prevented all contact between even families, other than children, who would be cared for by one parent, and as such became a prison. The law encaged them for 2 years. 

Monsters were beings who were incredibly affectionate and sociable in nature, and these 2 years dragged and drained. They suffered terrible loneliness and disconnection from the people they had been so close to in the underground. During their worst times, they always had someone with them in the past to share the burden and pain, but now, they were completely alone, and practically incapable of communication.

Monsters changed in the time of the quarantine. Papyrus became subdued, and nervous, constantly reaching for touch, but it was hesitant, like his reach would be refused. His color dulled, and his body armor left in the corner of his meticulous room, the only object that had collected a thin layer of dust. He wore light blue jeans, and a burgundy sweater, though his scarf remained. The gentle monster was even gentler, and had spent the time studying medicine and his healing magic, in the hopes that when this was all over, he could become a nurse.

Mettaton, himself, remained in the spotlight, becoming a streamer who could post consistently for the public. He became a ray of hope during the quarantine, a monster seemingly unaffected by his cage, positive for the future. Though his public appearance remained the same, as unchanged as stone, in private, he was self-conscious and worried, nerves eating at him.

Alphys, almost for the better, spent much of her time researching new sciences, gaining more knowledge and experience, even becoming more confident in her abilities. But her fear about her social potential remained low, perhaps stooping lower than before. She created autonomous robots, but they weren’t much for conversation.

Undyne was... bored. And that bred bad decisions and many, many, broken pieces of furniture. She now only has a mattress that has numerous spear sized holes in it. Many spears lay, still materialized across her home, the blue hued glow dull and almost non-existent. Undyne had created many fitness goals for herself, and surpassed each of them 20 times over.

Asgore had planted a forest. A literal jungle in the backyard. The Dreemurr household had 2 parts to it- the main house, and a small guest house. To ensure distance, Asgore had taken up residence in the smaller home, claiming the garden whenever the children didn’t relax outside. His hobby was indulged to the point that he no longer had any space to plant, and was solely on paperwork from that point onwards. He was stressed, and felt even more burdened than he had being king below the mountain.

Chara has settled for writing. Whether it be angsty poetry or silly little fictions that appeared in their head as they stared at the red painted walls of their bedroom, they had made it a mission to write thousands of pieces before the end of the quarantine. At the rate they were at, it was definitely possible- Chara had never seemed so content. They had previously, in their free time, enjoyed music greatly, and that continued with their spark of inspiration. Chara had never known physical affection very well, and as such didn’t miss it much, but they found the house lonely and barren without the humming of their father, the quiet noise of turning pages from their mother, the scuttling feet of a rushing Frisk or the angry yells of Flowey. 

Frisk felt similarly to Chara about many aspects of the quarantine. It seemed further that they both shared creative genes, since Frisk had turned, rather unexpectedly, to art. They had started with little doodles, using pencil on the margins of their reading books, which had evolved to paper sketches, water color, and acrylic painting, and eventually, after running out of paper, Frisk had passed over to the walls of their room. Having stolen white room paint, they painted to walls a canvas shade, and when it dried, painted various, excellent images all over the walls. It was a little mix-matched, a little confusing, but utterly breath-taking.

Flowey had bounced between humans, and since he didn’t have a soul, wasn’t a risk at all. He watched over the humans he was so fond of, and found that he himself, preferred reading Chara’s stories. He thought they were utterly amazing, and often snatched the used and filled notebooks wherever he went, spending lots of time in Frisk’s paint smelling room, amongst the acrylics, paint-brushes and water pots. He found peace in watching Frisk sweep their arm and create beautiful masterpieces.

Toriel baked. Tried recipes that both worked, and failed spectacularly, considering that sprinkles aren’t something you’d usually consider to work with a chicken and bacon pie. She also took up knitting. With growing children in the house, and no chance of buying them new clothes for Angel knows how long, it was a necessary, and rather enjoyable task to fill her mind. Toriel’s patient, calm and gentle nature didn’t change at all, but she quickly found herself missing the silly puns with Sans, or the cute little conversations with Asgore.

And Sans. Sans, who was greatly known for his ability to hide how he felt crashed. He relied on his friends to balance his mood, keep him busy just enough to chase those dark, cynical voices away. The silence was unbearable. And so, instead of spending time in his room, like most other monsters had chosen as their base camp, Sans set up in the secret lab at the back of his home. Explosions and bangs could be heard many houses down, as he tried and tried to get the machine working. He gained 2 more PhDs in his need for staying busy, slept and ate healthily, exercised, and yet still, it wasn’t enough. During the isolation, he was inconsolable practically the whole time. It was utterly heartbreaking for Papyrus who could here his beloved brothers broken sobs from his room in between the bangs, but could do nothing to help them.

Thank Angel that’s all over now.


	3. Angel of New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laila goes to Grillby’s!  
> It seems some skeletons need some time together after their prolonged separation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU, ConfineTale, is created by Miss_Psychopath. Any similarities are coincidental, and permission is preferred if you would like to use the concept.  
> (Posted 8th April, 2020)

Chapter 2: Angel of New Beginnings

Laila was laying in bed when the news was released. Monsters had only been released from the mountain for about 3 years before their quarantine and as such, many humans had forgotten about them rather swiftly, so when massive coverage was centered back on them after their sudden drop off the earth during the pandemic, everyone noticed.

After the long self-isolation, monsters had finally found a safe treatment that prevented the disease, and the immunization was then mass produced and distributed by the monster community. Bars, bakeries, hotels, streets, stores and librarbies were reopened and suddenly packed by monsters and humans alike. And so, with being a rather isolated person herself, Laila decided to go to a popular bar that she had occasional visited before the quarantine.

She approached, in a t-shirt and jeans, with a small backpack on her back, in front of the warm looking bar, surprisingly empty considering the circumstances, pushed open the door gently, letting it close behind her before she went up to the bar, taking a seat towards the left. She loved the warmth that emanated from the atmosphere of the establishment, but also the excitable chatter from the monsters who inhabited it. A few humans had taken seat at the booths, but it was a small proportion of the place.

A bright light appeared in front of her quietly, and Laila turned her head towards the source. Smiling brightly, she practically launched herself over the bar top as she hugged the bartender. The humanoid flame wrapped his arms around her lightly, a soft, slightly crackling chuckle reverberating from the chest of the fire man. Pulling back slightly, she smiled again.

“Heya Grillby. How’ve ya been?” She playfully asked, as his flames flickered higher in silent joy at her slight teasing. He held a flaming hand up in a thumbs up motion and Laila giggled. “You remember my usual, or has your memory burned out a bit?”

A slight tremble of Grillby’s shoulders express his exasperation, before he nods, and gathers a number of bottles, and artfully mixes them together into a breath-taking, glowing purple drink in a martini glass. He sets it down carefully, watching as the dark haired human sets out a $20 bill and passes it over gently. It’s more than the drink costs, but he takes it, knowing better than to argue with her. Just before he walks off, he brushes his flaming left hand against Laila’s right one that rested on the bar top as he leaves. It’s an unfamiliar action, but she doesn’t question it. Somehow, she just understood that he needed it.

When he reaches the other side of the bar to serve those sitting at the right side of the bar closer to the old, barely working jukebox, she takes a small sip of the violet drink, humming happily at the sweet burn as it travels down her throat. Monster alcohol truly was far, far better than human alcohol, it slightly fizzed and crackled with the magic that was mixed in. She holds it carefully in her left hand, and lets her silver gaze sweep across the bar. Her eyes catch on the (seemingly) large, armored dog who sat at a table just behind her, playing some kind of card game. Eyes lighting up, she stands and walks over to it, smiling, as she stood right next to its massive silver armored form.

The dog seems to take notice of Laila quickly, before nuzzling into her, jumping out of the armor, making her fall onto the ground. Laila had managed to place her drink down just before losing balance, and began to pet and play with the dog. Suddenly, the dark haired woman found herself surrounded by dogs all vying for her attention and affection. It struck the grey-eyed human as odd, but again, shrugged it off, and went around the large group of dogs, giving each their own pets. 

Laila found herself spending the rest of the night there at the dog table, being passed around begrudgingly, deposited on each dog’s lap for a few minutes each as she pet and spoke to each previous royal guard member.

______________________

Elsewhere, in a two-story house on Snowdin Street, two skeletons clutched each other tightly, Magic tears dripping down smooth skull cheekbones. Skeletal hands holding unyieldingly to the other, as though afraid they would be ripped apart at any moment. It was unclear whether the tears were out of relief and joy, or terrified fear.


	4. A Brother’s Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus need to reconnect.
> 
> A little note: Sans and Papyrus have different colored magic in this AU, Sans having mint green and Papyrus having a darker, forest green.
> 
> If you go over to my tumblr, I recently posted a drawing of Sans! Here’s the link to my tumbler: https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/slightlypsych0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU, ConfineTale, is created by Miss_Psychopath. Any similarities are coincidental, and permission is preferred if you would like to use the concept.  
> (Posted 8th April, 2020)

Chapter 3: A Brother’s Love

When Sans received the news of the immunization, he was numb. After 2 years of nothing but loneliness, he wasn’t sure how to feel about the concept of company. He felt detached, awkward and... scared.

He’d changed so much, that much he knew. Without the distractions his friends had provided, Sans had plummeted. Sans had crushed himself under his own weight, his own misery. Sans knew his brother had heard his cracked wails, knew his brother hated it, knew his brother wanted to be there, and help. Sans knew he would try. Sans didn’t know if it would be enough. 

Sans wasn’t broken, no, he hadn’t shattered into tiny, unredeemable fragments of himself, but he was cracked. A spiderweb of hairline cracks threatened his security, a network of assured destruction if the wrong words or actions were made. 

Sans wasn’t broken. Not yet. But he was at his breaking point.

So when both himself and his brother was given the necessary medication to assure their safety against the pandemic, and the doctors had left their home, it started off silent. There were no loud booms of unsuccessful experiments in the lab, or soft music playing from Papyrus’s room as he puzzled away. Sans was too afraid to approach, and Papyrus wasn’t sure if he should approach yet.

They sat stiffly on the green couch that decorated the barely used living room, the TV off, and both skeletons stock still, barely breathing. Sans shakily reached over the small distance between the two, and lightly tapped Papyrus’s gloved one. The taller skeleton caught Sans’s hand in it, as both trembled. They stayed that way for a few minutes, before Papyrus quietly burst into tears. Sans reacted quickly, moving to hug his younger brother. His arms stretched, lightly scratching the back of Papyrus’s skull, quietly comforting the sorrowful monster.

“I Am So Sorry Brother— I Wish I Could Have Been There, I Am So So Sorry! I Am So Sorry Sans!” Forest green glowing tears travelled their way down Papyrus’s cheekbones, as he wailed and apologized endlessly. Sans felt his own magical minty green tears materialize at the corners of his sockets as he gently guided Papyrus’s skull to his white turtleneck covered shoulder and rocked the two of them gently.

“s’ok bro, i know, i know. there was nothin’ you could’a done bro. don’t apologize, i’m ok.” Sans muttered lowly at the side of his brothers skull, translucent tears dripping down both of their faces. The two stayed together like that for about an hour and a half, both sobbing silently in each other’s company, finally together again after far too long.

When they could finally muster the courage and strength the separate from one another, they sat back on the couch. A lightened air gave a sense of comfort to the two monsters who sat, now far more comfortably, shoulders and sides pressed together lightly. The muted and small contact was an assurance that the both of them were still there, that this wasn’t a cruelly realistic dream that they would wake up from to find that they were still locked away, unable to reach each other.

Remaining quiet for just a little longer, just to ensure the reality of the moment, they stayed comfortably still, before jumping into their usual routine. Papyrus jumped up quickly and spritely, before sprinting to the kitchen.

“Nyeh Heh Heh! It Has Been Two Years Since You Have Tasted The Great Papyrus’s Spectacular Spaghetti! I Shall Gladly Prepare You Some Now, Brother, So Prepare Your Tastebuds!” Papyrus exclaimed, far quieter than he had before, but still energetically and it brought a wider smile to Sans’s face. His perma-grin became more gleeful, and his sockets squinted slightly. Sans stuffed his hands in the pockets of his (mainly) white lab coat, and for the first time in just over 2 years, Sans considered the possibility that everything was going to be okay.

________________________

Papyrus, despite his behavior, was incredibly worried about Sans. When he had comforted the taller skeleton, saying that he was okay, Sans, himself, hadn’t sounded particularly convinced by his own words. It seemed like he was trying fool himself into believing it. Papyrus may not have been a genius like Sans was, with a walls worth of qualifications and visible proofs of his intellect, but he wasn’t an idiot. Papyrus knew when Sans was lying, and what worried him was that while, in that moment, Sans hadn’t been lying, it hadn’t been the truth either. The skeleton monster didn’t know what to do about the situation— he desperately wanted his brother to be okay, desperately wanted things to go back to the way there were, but he knew it was unrealistic. Their whole world had to be rebuilt before Sans would ever be okay. 

Papyrus knew that went for himself as well.


	5. Books and Library Jobs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems Chara wants to pursue their hobby in a more financial way.  
> ((Slight profanity))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU, ConfineTale, is created by Miss_Psychopath. Any similarities are coincidental, and permission is preferred if you would like to use the concept.  
> (Posted 8th April, 2020)

Chapter 4: Books and Library Jobs

Laila awoke groggily, body half hanging off her bed as a small, aching battle between sobriety and alcohol vigorously waging at her temple. A fluffy tail waved to and fro in front of her face, before swatting her between her eyes quickly, making the dark haired girl close her eyes swiftly to prevent any further damage. The small creature responsible for the swat rested to the right of Laila’s head, a light grey tabby cat called Mari. Her blue eyes challenged the sleepy human who was tangled tightly into her comforter, as the grey furred tail smacked her again, this time at the tip of her nose, making Laila sneeze. Hard.

The sneeze was so incredibly aggressive it offset her precarious battle of balance on the edge of her bed, causing her to teeter over the edge, landing heavily onto the wooden floor of her bedroom in a bundled, messy heap. The cat gracefully leaped down off the bed, onto her humans back, before sauntering in front of Laila’s head. Mari gave her a self-satisfied smirk, and left the room quietly.

A particularly painful throb coursed through her head as she lifted it to face her bedside table. She reached lazily for her phone, and checked the time quickly. She turned it off against, resting her forehead against the cool floor, before her whole body flew out of the comforter, off the floor and checked her phone again. 

Shit.  
It’s a Monday.  
She works Mondays.  
Double shit.  
It’s 10:00.  
She starts her shift at 10:30.

Laila rushed around the small apartment like a storm, messes being made and not cleaned as she hurried her way through her routine. I really should set an alarm, the dark haired woman mused to herself as she ran around everywhere before finally taking some headache pills and making her way to work after ensuring both her lovely pets were fed (and pampered slightly).

The walk was surprisingly pleasant. The spring whether was finally showing itself after the endless windy days. It was warm and sunny with a slight breeze, and many flowers were blooming, making the landscape colorful and exciting. The walk was (rather sadly) quite short, as Laila approached the large stone steps of the library that led to a intricately carved mahogany wooden door.

The library was warm and brightly lit with many large windows covering the stone walls of the building. It was one of the oldest buildings in town, and it showed its age in both its size and its impressiveness. Shelves upon shelves were completely filled with alphabetical and genre specific ordered books, with small plush bean bags and tables dotting some of the more open areas of the massive library. 

Laila, for today, only had to do some organizing and visitor aide for the day, making it rather easy, peaceful and quiet. Her job was truly enjoyable for Laila, who adored reading and writing to her very core. Without books, there’s no way she would be nearly as content with her life as she is. 

As she began her book placements and organization, Laila found herself lost in thought. The thoughts were random, following no real pattern, or meaning, just simple, lovely little thoughts. Such as how the sun caught the dust particles in the air, making the room seem magical, or how the scent of books and ink made her feel so at home and comfortable.

Laila was drawn out of her thoughts when she was lightly tapped on her right shoulder by a large white paw. Turning around swiftly, Laila smiled gently at the sight of a monster couple with two human kids and... a flower? She shrugged it off, explaining it away as simply “magic”. Before focusing on the family.

“Hi there, my name is Laila! Is there something I can help you with?” Laila asked quietly, so as not to disturb anyone else in the library. One of the monsters, seemingly a female, wearing a long purple robe smiled back at the dark haired human, before responding equally as quietly. “Hello, my child, my name is Toriel. Chara here has recently discovered a talent for writing and was wondering if they may be able to get a job at the library?” Toriel’s tone was gentle, loving and prideful as she discussed Chara’s newfound passion.

Smiling, Laila gave an excited nod. “We’ve recently been looking for new workers here since the library is so large— it gets real hard keep everything in order. If I get the proper documents and sit you down with a explanation of what you’d have to do, I’m sure that will be perfectly fine!” Her voice rose slightly at the end, before her cheeks flushed and she calmed herself down with a few deep breaths. The red-eyed child, of whom Laila assumed was Chara, gave a little laugh, before giving her a nod and gestures for her to lead the way. Laila scuttled off quickly, retrieving the necessary papers and pulling the teen over to an unoccupied table.

“Fill that in, we’ll get a parental signature, and we’ll discuss your new job!” The dark haired woman says gently to Chara, who nods dutifully, a ghostly smile drifting across their face. Toriel taps Laila again, and this time, gives her a concerned look. 

“Chara is selectively mute and doesn’t speak, will that be a problem?” Her tone is filled with worry and her eyes crease downwards as she frowns slightly. Laila’s smile widens before she shakes her head quickly.

“I can use ASL, so it won’t be a problem at all.” The silver eyed human signs as she speaks, and the other child, seems to perk up and the two of you sign to each other at breakneck speed that no one else is capable of comprehending.

When the two of you stop, Laila looks back up to Toriel, and this time, reaches for the paw still resting on her shoulder. “If it makes you more comfortable, I’ll be staying with Chara for the first month to ensure they understand what the job asks of them, and any trouble they have, I’ll handle. I promise you, your child will be perfectly safe in the care of the library staff.”

Chara hands off the documents to the other monster will the family, who turns to Toriel questioningly.

“Tori? Am I okay to sign?” His voice is deep, and his towering height is almost comical when he needs to kneel to use the table to sign the sheet. Toriel nods at him, a smile on her face. 

“Yes, I do believe Chara will be okay here.” She says finally. Walking over to the kneeling monster. Chara looks up at Laila and gestures for a high five, and she does, with a small, almost unnoticeable wink.

Chara laughs, smiles and leaves with the rest of their family with the promise to be back at the library tomorrow.


	6. Lock and Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus do some separation training.  
> Laila and Sans seem like they’ll get along just fine.  
> ((Slight Profanity))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU, ConfineTale, is created by Miss_Psychopath. Any similarities are coincidental, and permission is preferred if you would like to use the concept.  
> (Posted 8th April, 2020)

Chapter 5: Lock and Key

One problem with recovering from being apart from each other for so long, for the skelebros, was separation anxiety. The two monsters now associated being apart from one another with deep sadness and loneliness. To combat the horrible feelings, they stayed stuck together like a layer of glue was firmly dried between them, only parting when they really had to. They slept in the same bed, did activities together, went out together etc. And then came the drawbacks. The dependency between the two very different skeletons created a conflict of interests and hobbies. Sans wasn’t much one for cooking and baking, and Papyrus found little interest in science and strange notations he couldn’t wrap his skull around. 

Thus, they came to a crossroad. Not wanting to stay apart out of fear that they would be kept from each other again, but also a respect for the other that they had their own lives to live with interests and likes that they didn’t share. It started off by doing small things. Papyrus no longer made Sans get up at 6:00 to start breakfast. Sans read through science textbooks in his room while Papyrus watched Mettaton’s livestream. Papyrus went on 30 minute runs while Sans took care of any exploding experiments he had in the lab.

It was hard, with the terrifying, gut-wrenching feeling that they may never see each other again that reared it’s ugly head within the first few weeks of the separation training, but after that, it got easier. So, they decided to take a bigger step. Papyrus got a job at the local food store that he worked at for a bunch of hours a week, and Sans started going back to Grillby’s after far too long.

During the isolation, Sans had depleted his ketchup stash until there was nothing left, and he was absolutely itching to get his hands on Grillbz’s specially mixed ketchup. 

When he ‘ported himself right outside the door of the bar, his magic fizzed and popped, making Sans wince at the mint green flashes that lingered slightly. He hadn’t really used his magic much during the quarantine, so using it felt a little uncomfortable now. He pushed open the door, stepping inside and making his way to the bar, taking his usual seat. The fire man just behind the bar top flitted in front of Sans quickly, crackling his flames in relief that the skeleton was safe and alive. Sans rubbed the back of his skull nervously, a bead of sweat dropping down the side of his skull slightly, a sign of his discomfort. 

Sans wasn’t entirely sure how long this “training” would take until he would be back to his usual self, able to go anywhere and everywhere he wanted to without that awful sense of dread that burned his soul inside out, but he hoped it would be soon. Sans loved his brother, he really, truly, loved him, but Sans knew that Papyrus hated being smothered or hovered over, and Sans knew that independence is a good skill to master.

“yeah, grillbz, i’m okay. can i get my regular please?” Sans chuckled slightly, now fiddling with this skeletal fingers. His eye lights sweep the bar, and sees a new face. A human female, with dark hair, mocha colored skin and silver/grey eyes. For human standards, she was pretty, and Sans couldn’t deny the idea. 

Sans had an idea. An experiment, he supposed. A test. Sans uses his shortcut to move himself into the seat directed next to the human, giving a little tap of his pointer finger to the bar top, giving a sharp and distinct click noise. The human turned quickly to face the source of the noise, eyes flashing in surprise at the sound.

“heya, buddy. don’tcha know how to greet a new friend? shake my hand.” Sans’s smile widened, putting a friendly expression on his face, as he offered the girl his hand.

“Well, then, buddy. Don’tcha know that you should introduce yourself first?” The human teased playfully, silver eyes sparkling in entertainment. Sans felt his sockets scrunch as his grin turned genuine in joy. He shook his skull exasperatedly. 

“i’m not sure this relationship will work out, i feel like i’m the only one investin’ time an’ effort into us.” Sans exaggerated, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his socket. He saw the human woman smile brightly at his dramatics, as she sarcastically rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, your making me work for it? Oh, fine, I’ll indulge you.” She sighed, faking annoyance as she clicked her tongue, and crossed her arms. “My name’s Laila Hayes, pleasure to meet you. I’m sure we’ll have a skele-ton of fun together.” She reaches for his still outstretched hand, giggling hysterically at the obscene farting noise that erupted from it. Her skin was incredibly soft, distracting him from her words for a minute as he nearly found himself reaching back for her hand to feel the silken smoothness against his bone again. Then he finally processed what she had said to him.

Sans felt his cheekbones well up with his magic and flash a light minty green. Holy fuck, she punned him! She punned him without him starting it! He didn’t know her name, her age, or anything about her, but Sans was absolutely certain that this was, undeniably, the start of a beautiful friendship.


End file.
